Ledecky breaks first world record in seven years

Katie Ledecky, the world’s best swimmer, broke her previous record in seven years.

In eight and four and a half seconds, the 28-year-old broke her previous record of nine years by winning the 800-meter freestyle at the Tyr Pro Series meet in Florida.

The time was faster than the eight-year-old record of 8:04.79, which the nine-time Olympic champion set while taking home gold at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Ledecky has set a new record for the event for the sixth time since 2013, when she overcame Rebecca Adlington, a two-time Olympian, in 2013.

Ledecky holds four records total for both the long and short courses, including the 800m and 1500m freestyle, before her most recent world record, which she set in May 2018.

Ledecky has had some impressive performance over the past week, winning both titles at the Paris 2024 and Tokyo 2020 Games.

She posted her best time in nine years on Thursday, which was her second-fastest freestyle time ever, and on Wednesday, her fastest freestyle time ever.

Gretchen Walsh, her compatriot, broke the 100-meter butterfly world record earlier on Saturday, clocking 55.09 seconds.

With nine to five individual and four relays, the 22-year-old holds the most recent world records.